On industrial North 63rd Street in Philadelphia sits a nondescript one-story stucco building that holds a liquor and wine company that at 178 years is distinguished by being the oldest in continuing such operation in America. It still bears the name of its founder, James Moroney, an Irish immigrant who sixteen years before the Civil War first sold “spirits” to affluent residents of the City of Brotherly Love.
James Moroney Inc.’s secret to success? First, continuous family ownership over its entire existence. Second, the ability to sell sacramental wine to Catholic and other churches during the 14 years of National Prohibition when the making and selling of other alcoholic beverages was completely banned.
Facts about Moroney’s early life are scant. He was born in Ireland in 1815 but I have been unable to ascertain his date of emigration to the United States nor his occupation upon arriving. It would appear that he early had settled in Philadelphia likely working in one of the many liquor houses that city harbored. The company website indicates that the founder sold his first bottle of liquor in June 1845, when Moroney would have been 30 years old.
Five years later, he married for the first time, his bride Phoebe Hoffman. Tragically Phoebe died, perhaps in child birth, just a year later. Later James would marry again, another Irish immigrant, Jane Duffy. The 1880 census indicates they had three sons, Edward 16, James E. 11, John J. 2, and a daughter Kate, 6.
Moroney’s liquor and wine import and wholesale house first appeared in Philadelphia directories about 1875. The business was initially was located at 317-319 Walnut Street, moving to 205 South 13th Street in 1900, the address shown here. Among the brand names it used were “Moroney,” "Moroney Pure Rye,” "Old Navy,” “Old Navy Gin,” and "Round the World Scotch,” and “Whiskey Whiskey.” Moroney’s flagship label was “Army and Navy Whiskey.” In 1906-1907, when Congress tightened the laws the company trademarked that brand name and three others.
My interest in Moroney initially was drawn by a variety of rhymes provided on tip trays advertising Army and Navy Whiskey issued by his enterprise and gifted to saloons, hotels and restaurants. The verses ranged from a full poem, to four-line stanzas summoning up the grim reaper. Here is the Moroney offering entitled “The Glittering Mirror”
Indicating the worldwide reach of Moroney’s “Army and Navy Whiskey” the bottle on the tray bears the inscription: "CALDBECK, MACGREGOR & CO, DISTRIBUTORS. Hong Kong, Shanghai, China, and Singapore, India. This outfit was the largest and best known Far East wine and liquor distributor, likely servicing American troops in the Philippines.
The two “Army and Navy” tip trays above each carried Moroney quatrains of a somewhat lugubrious sort:
The second tray bears the inscription "FRIEDLEIN & CO, DISTRIBUTORS. Obrapia y San Idnacio, HABANA, CUBA,” again indicating the international scope of Moroney whiskey.
The question remains if these verses and the trays were the inspiration of James Moroney or his successors in the family. As they matured, the father in succession had brought his three sons into his liquor business. The verses above and the overseas location of the distributors seem to indicate a post-Spanish-American War origin. Because James died at 80 in 1896 two years before that conflict, the evidence points to the work of his heirs.
Although Edward was the eldest son and clerked for a time at James Moroney Inc., his younger brother, James E. assumed the company presidency after his father’s passing, with John joining him in a management role. They seemingly had inherited the merchandising talents of their father. The verses above likely came during their management of James Moroney Inc.
The sons also expanded the domestic reach of their Philadelphia liquor house, becoming so popular that liquor retailers across America were willing to advertise it on their own, as demonstrated by the examples above. The Hanlen Bros. ad is particularly noteworthy for its hyperbole: “Moroney’s Army and Navy Whiskey is a toppy drink for for toppy chaps. It’s as old as the man who owned the farm that raised the goose that gave the quill that wrote the Declaration of Independence.”
[See my post on the Hanlens, August 9, 2012.]
The Moroneys continued to exhibit ingenuity in their marketing. Shown above is a postcard issued by the company, considered one of the earliest baseball cards and eagerly sought by collectors. It honors the Oswego N.Y. team as champions of the Empire State League. Note player No 3. He is the star pitcher, Jim Moroney, and the reason this card advertises Army and Navy Whiskey, although Jim is not identified as a relative.
James Moroney Inc. took National Prohibition in stride. Sacramental wine used by churches and synagogues was permitted and orders for it quickly increased by millions of gallons a year. The Moroneys discontinued their liquors to concentrate on this large and growing market, mainly in providing wine to the nation’s Catholic and Orthodox churches. It also branched out into selling candles, hosts, and other religious items.
With the end of National Prohibition in 1934, James Moroney Inc., with family members still at the helm, returned to marketing liquor along with wines of all varieties. A series of match boxes helps tell the story. From that time to this, the family has continued to sell wine to churches and the general market, including a single brand of Moroney whiskey, while occupying the unmarked building shown here. Although financial data indicates revenues last year of $1.8 million, the company lists only three employees and recently took down its website on the Internet. The run of 178 years may be coming to an end.
Meanwhile, the founding father of this longstanding enterprise lies in St. Joseph Cemetery, in Downingtown, Chester County, Pennsylvania. He was joined there in April 1910 by his widow, Jane Moroney, who suffered a heart attack while living at the home of a son. She was 80 years old at her passing. The Moroney’s joint monument is shown above.
Note: Unfortunately this post does not adequately reflect the 178 year history of the wine and liquor enterprise founded by James Moroney. Although his great, great, grand-daughter, Mary Moroney McCarty, is listed as the current owner of the company, I was unable to communicate with her through the contacts provided on the James Moroney, Inc. webpage, a site that subsequently has been taken down. I am hopeful some alert reader will be able to help open a line of communication with Ms. McCarty or other knowledgeable sources.
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